Domino's Pizza UK enjoyed its best ever Tuesday this week after it enticed love-struck couples to spend Valentine's Day enjoying a cut-price pizza and a chocolate dessert.

The pizza delivery firm showed its romantic side as it posted a rise in annual profits, driven by record store openings. Domino's, which has 726 stores, offered Valentine's Day customers a buy-one, get-one free promotion on pizzas and deserts.

Lance Batchelor, its chief executive, said: "What could be more romantic than a Domino's and a chocolate melt?"

Underlying sales rose 3 per cent over the year to 25 December, although this is down from 11.9 per cent growth the previous year.

Boosted by a surge in orders from mobile devices, the group's online sales leapt 43 per cent to £183.1m, representing 44.3 per cent of delivered sales, but that has now risen to more than half. Mr Batchelor said: "We are rapidly becoming an online business."

Pre-tax profits rose 14.6 per cent to £43.6m. Boosted by a record 62 new stores, total sales jumped 9.3 per cent to £530.6m.